Lab-based IoT device emulation on the LTE-M band

February 17, 2016 //
By Julien Happich

PRISMA Telecom Testing has added 3GPP IoT devices emulation to its Radio Access Network testing suite, enabling both network manufacturers and service providers to accelerate the deployment time of IoT devices.

PRISMA RAN test systems are already being used by the major network manufacturers to validate 2G, 3G and LTE use cases. By extending this technology to include IoT emulation, equipment vendors, operators and IoT network providers will be able to verify support for all types of connected devices, vehicles and machines well before their actual deployment. This will encompass the complete range of industrial, smart city and smart home technology, in addition to enterprise applications expected to use the latest 3GPP protocols.

IoT and M2M network design is fundamentally different to traditional network structure, as although the majority of IoT devices will require relatively low power and throughput, the sheer number of connected devices will place an unprecedented set of demands on cellular infrastructure. To ensure the success of IoT applications, all elements must be tested against specific standards being introduced by the 3GPP in its Release 12 and 13, including the LTE-M narrowband frequency configured specifically for M2M communication.

PRISMA Telecom Testing is now able to offer a RAN test platform fully supporting the simulation of these Cat-0 and LTE-M devices, enabling the validation of network equipment to support IoT implementations well ahead of chipsets production and commercial device release.